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Back from my trip so I decided to celebrate with a Rhino Tooth as described by KatieLoeb. First tried the Bonal on its own and it was much better than expected. Not too bitter and chilled with a little soda it would be pretty good on it's own. Got to work on the Rhino Tooth and realized I didn't have a grapefruit in the house so I will have to explore it again when I have all the ingredients. Was curious to see how much the Bonal and Benedictine impacted the bourbon and just how sweet it tasted. Seemed just fine in terms of sweetness but boy, howdy that will keep you warm on a cold night! You aren't ever going to forget that this is first and foremost a bourbon drink. The Benedictine and Bonal certainly help round off the edges a bit but I can see why it is important to start with a solid base. I wonder how the Leopold Bros whiskey would work here? Look forward to trying it again when I have a grapefruit handy to add to the mix. Would have been a perfect companion whilst I was snapping pics of these fellas as I traveled across the veldt in iSimangaliso Wetland Park in southeast South Africa!

Made a stop at the H&F Bottle Shop today to check it out now that "prohibition" is over and they have spirits available in the store. A nice collection of some interesting spirits including Smith & Cross rum and The Scarlet Ibis rum which I decided to add to my "collection". At this rate I am going to have the entire Haus Alpenz catalog pretty soon... The one exception is one I would really like to have but still is unavailable, the Kronan Swedish Punsch. Anybody heard any further word on this one?

Name doesn't particularly bother me but my sense of humor is generally described by most of my friends as decidedly different so that may not mean much... So what proportions do you use in "the drink formerly known as the Salty Frog" and is their a way to make it without salt infused gin which you noted was fun but unnecessary? Use a "pinch" of salt instead? Noting of course that "pinch" is another one of those measures that is sufficiently vague as to not be all that helpful.

Can't help much as I have not been to the first four either. Lunacy Black Market is on my long list of places to try so it would certainly be my first choice but it is kind of a casual dining experience I am told by those who have been. And I might cab it both ways even though it is only about a mile, especially if it is after dark. Not exactly the best part of town in the evening after the downtown business crowd is gone. Friends who have been to FAB recently thought it ok. Dependable but nothing that stood out. I have heard some pretty good things about Truva so I might have to check it out myself. Just don't go downtown as much as Midtown, Decatur or even Buckhead. The Sundial, unless it has changed a lot over the years is mostly the view. Food is ok but pricey in my opinion but it has been awhile since I was last there. The view is nice though!

So, good news! Our products are finally available through DrinkUpNY. Here's a copy of the press release: Bittermens Spirits at DrinkUpNY Oh sure! Now that they have dropped their free shipping policy to those of us out here in the sticks!

Hard to make a drink too sweet for me! I struggle a bit with strong bitter flavors myself. I am trying hard to educate my palate to a balance of bitter and sweet but I still have a ways to go. Your original proportions sounds like a perfectly good place to start so I will go with the equal parts of "B&B" to start with.

Sounds interesting! Don't have 1792 but Knob Creek would probably fill in I should think. Also have some Blanton's Single Barrel but I tend to save that for sippin'. Also a good chance to use the king sized ice cube tray. Will likely have to wait until next week though.

Well, I would have bet against myself when I started (inspite of my rugged good looks and charming personality...) but apparently groveling works. And I ain't too proud to grovel! The one store where I got at least some warm fuzziness a couple of days ago in my search for the Sazerac 18yo Rye has come through! As a result they have made a new customer for life. Or at least the forseeable future... Had worked for months to develop a relationship with the manager of one store, saving my biggest purchases for his store. Seemed to be on his good side only to discover a few weeks ago that he had departed. I did not push for details but it seems it was not amicable. That left me pretty high and dry. But it looks like I now have a new "go to" store for future shopping. In addition to going in person to grovel instead of just cold calling on the phone probably helped. I suppose it didn't hurt that the manager and I were from the same area and he even knew my father from a previous store he had been part owner of. Good thing we Irish enjoy a wee nip now and again! So in addition to the Laird's and the Bonal that I stumbled across when I was there a couple of days ago (and the 2 bottles of Depaz that I just couldn't pass up for $20 each, probably a close out) I am now the owner of a bottle of the Fall 2011 edition of the Sazerac 18yo Rye. Despite my trip this weekend I may have to break that one open for a little taste before I go!

Dutifully made the rounds of several larger liquor stores inquiring about the Sazerac 18yo. Surprisingly got one possibility so we shall see how it goes. The problem with wandering around liquor stores is that you have a tendency to see stuff you might want! Found a couple of bottles of Depaz rhum agricole that must have been on closeout for $20 each. In addition I stumbled across a lonely, dusty bottle of Bonal in the vermouth section at one store and decided what the heck, lets give it a shot. Finally temptation got the best of me and I picked up a bottle of the Laird's 12yo apple brandy. Thought it might make a nice comparison to the Kuchan peach brandy. On the down side I just realized I will be on the road this weekend so it may be a few days before I can fully explore these new additions.

Last night was the Rum Dinner at Pura Vida in Atlanta hosted by Ed Hamilton featuring rum drinks from head mixologist Paul Calvert and food from head chef Hector Santiago. The evening started with a variety of "pupus" (deviled eggs with bacalao, buñuelos do caritas, malanga chips with avocado aji and of course chicharrones) and a welcome cocktail called Noble Rot created by Paul for the evening featuring Smith & Cross rum, Cocchi Americano, grapfruit juice, angostura bitters and a splash of Cava in a flute. Light and tasty even with the use of the S&C. Never had it before but it has typically been described as having a wee bit of "funk". But it seemed to work well. Next up was Tuna Poke with all manner of flavors on top to include pickled ginger and garlic, sour orange caviar and tapioca flakes. The featured drink was a simple but delicious Daiquiri #1 using Neisson rhum agricole blanc, lime and petite canne syrup garnished with a lime wheel in a coupe. The main course was a delicious slow roasted pork (is anything better than rum and pig? I think not!) and various sides (pigeon pea salad with green banana escabeche, arroz con tocino, etc). Accompanying the main course was an Old Strangler, again presumably created by Paul for the evening. It had The Scarlet Ibis rum, watermelon syrup, cynar, lime and angostura bitters over ice in a Collins glass with a cinnamon stick as garnish. This gave the drink the strong aroma of cinnamon as you drank it and added a very nice touch. Desert followed with coconut cake tres leches style with a very intense passion fruit ice cream on the side. I liked the ice cream but some found it too strong. This was paired with a Rum Old Fashioned using Ron Zacapa 23 with a bit of petite canne syrup, angostura bitters and Regans orange bitters stirred over ice and served in an old fashioned glass over a large cube of ice. Very nice indeed! The evening concluded with rum tastings and conversation with Ed. Featured rums included the Ron Zacapa 23, Neisson Réserve Spéciale, El Dorado 12yo, Cruzan Aged, Flor de Cana 7 (I think) and a bottle of both the new and old Lemonhart 151. A delightful evening was had by all! Well at least I did.

Recent topic started here that might help with your question although it is mostly about what liqueurs to add to a basic bar. Probably a relevant topic in here somewhere about basic bar components as well. Each base spirits tends to have a good discussion as well. The rum thread has some suggestions on white rums for example

Deja Christmas vu all over again. Bought myself another early present and it arrived today! Got a little carried away with the Kuchan O'Henry peach brandy. They had 6 in stock and I was going to get 4 since they are half bottles but they had room in the box and it wasn't going to cost anymore to ship them so I said what the heck, throw the last two in there. They were hard enough to find as it was. If I like it then it should keep for awhile (I hope...) if I take care of it and if I don't like it then I can always make them presents when the real Christmas rolls around. In addition I added a bottle of Rusty Blade gin from the same folks who make the peach brandy. Kind of a pricey bottle of gin it turns out. 88% Wheat based neutral grain spirits mixed with 12% Zinfandel eau de vie and the usual herbal suspects that is barrel aged in french limousin oak for 15 months. A rich reddish amber brown that is darker than the peach brandy and bottles at 47% ABV. The Zin has basically turned it into a juniper brandy I suppose. We shall see. Added a couple of half bottles of Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, A bottle of Cocchi Americano which I had been looking for around here but not found yet, a bottle of Genevieve which was also hard to come by locally and finally a bottle of Torani Amer which I hope to compare with the homemade Amer Picon substitute using Amaro CioCiaro, Everclear and Agostura orange bitters from the Splificator recipe. Not that I have a clue what the original Amer Picon tastes like. On the hunt now for the Sazerac 18yo rye (not going to hold my breath but thought I would at least look) and then I am hopefully done with "presents" for a while. Plan to take some of these for a test ride this weekend but first it is off to the Rum Dinner tomorrow night with Ed Hamilton. A report to follow hopefully sometime on Wednesday depending on how hung over I am...

Haven't spent much time out that way. When in Hawaii I am usually a the other end of the H1 or in Kaneohe. There is now a Roy's out that way. Haven't been to that one but have been to the one in Hawaii Kai although that was awhile back. Nice enough if a bit spendy. Now a chain of "Hawaiian fusion" restaurants with several in the Honolulu area and one in Maui so might not be the same as it once was. For other more upscale dining I would think you would be stuck with one of the hotel restaurants popping up out that way but don't have any personal experience to offer. Don't know the area well enough to comment on what, if anything, might be in nearby Kapolei.

Wow, those are some real heavyweights! 71.3 and 66.75% ABV on the first two.. Only thing lightweight now is the wallet! But those look like some seriously special investments. Hard to get those here unless you know somebody who knows somebody.

Lots of nice things out there in the bay area and a few other select places but for those of us out here in the heathen hinterlands it is a bit more challenging. Atlanta is better than some places no doubt and it is home, and has been for a long time, so I just try to make do as best I can! With enough time, and frequent pestering of the right people, I can usually eventually get most things if I really want to make the effort. If a new peach bitters finally comes along I hopefully will be able to get that too.

Booby trap for spouse? Should be the same surface area and air in the bottle. I don't understand. A vac-u-vin is a minor inconvenience and seems to work very well at prolonging the life of perishable wines and such in the fridge. I use the vac-u-vin for mine but upside down I would guess probably helps reduce air exchange around the cork or seal. Right side up the air in the bottle is perhaps still being circulated to some modest degree? Just a guess.

Short answer, yes, based on the bottlings of vintage Peach Bitters I own. I've been analysing them for some time and hope to submit them to a gas chromotography in the coming weeks. Whether I ever release these as a bottling I've yet to decide, although I would love to release a true Peach Bitters. That's about all I can share just now. Oh, please do! Just as the world really does need a real peach brandy, it also needs a real peach bitters! I was under the impression there now is a real peach brandy out there as described here by Splificator. I hope so since I finally have a bottle or three on the way. Just wish it was a bit easier to acquire! I've been working on it for over a month now.

Forgot to mention that Aspall is readily available in Atlanta so it might be one you can find locally as well unless you are specifically looking for a US based cider. It is rather pricey as you note but I suspect that smallish US cider brands won't necessarily be a bargain either presuming you can locate them.

The most recent issue of Imbibe has a brief article about dry ciders if you happen to have access to it. It notes 6 ciders they consider to be dry to include the Farnum Hill Extra Dry mentioned above. I don't know for sure but I suspect none of them have wide distribution. I enjoy an occasional cider although perhaps not a really dry one like you might be looking for (I have a small supply of Savanna Dry Cider that I like but I wouldn't call it a strongly dry cider) so I was going to see what I could find this weekend in my area. One in this article that might be close to you in DC might be Foggy Ridge Serious Cider from Dugspur, VA. Other listed in addition to the Farnum Hill were: Eve's Cidery Northern Spy from New York Snowdrift Cider Co. Dry and Tieton Cider Works Tieton Blend from Washington State Wandering Aengus Dry Oak-Aged Cider from Oregon - Sounded interesting and described as "bone-dry and alluringly funky". But I would be surprised if it was found on the East Coast. The website didn't seem all that helpful. They will ship but not to my state or anywhere near me.

I think the point is that an eau-de-vie, being a dry spirit rather than a liqueur, will clear up the problem with the drink being too sweet. It wouldn't be too sweet as written, but with an apricot liqueur, it certainly would be. On a separate note, I had a quite delicious drink with Dolin blanc when I was at Clyde Common a few weeks ago. It's called the "Nasturtium," and has Dolin blanc, Domaine de Canton, and Bonal Gentiane-Quina in it (with a lemon twist). I didn't bother asking about the proportions, because I can't get any of those ingredients here, but I thought I'd mention it in case anyone wanted to try. Sounds like an interesting drink but I would have to try to track down some Bonal or better yet find a local bar that would make one for me first. Have no idea about the proper portions of course. Is Bonal with its use of gentian sufficiently distinctive that trying a variation with Lillet or Cocchi Americano would be too different? Read about a barrel aged Chrysanthemum at Clyde Common that sounded good as well. Have relatives in the Portland area so next time I get out that way will have to give it a try.

Technically Sotol & Tequila are both genres of Mezcal.... drinks currently labeled as Mezcal are made from dozens of distinct species... which is why the Oaxacan producers have been working hard to get a NOM established (I don't recall the status on it.... but there has been a push to get NOMs for Espadin, Tobala & some of the other prized agaves. If the disperse groups of distillers, growers & wild plant collectors could get organized in an ideal world they would establish at least a dozen distinct NOMs maybe more for each sufficiently differing genre of agave distill. Even in Jalisco which is so overran by the shadow of Tequila there are dozens of micro-regional distills that are called Mezcal made from agave that is neither Blue Webber nor Espadin, and are not Smoked as in Oaxaca. Any bottles from these micro-distillers that manage to make their way into the States? I am always willing to try something different! Other than the Sotol and the Del Maguey Tobala I believe everything I have is either Blue Webber or Espadin based spirits. My understanding was that mezcal did have a NOM now although it included several species of agave in addition to Espadin under the same NOM. Several of my newer mezcals have a NOM on them although I have an older bottle of Los Danzantes (imported by Del Maguey and now labeled Los Nahuales apparently) that does not have a NOM or the green and white COMERCAM seal described here. The Del Maguey Tobala I purchased recently doesn't have a NOM or COMERCAM seal on it either interestingly although I suspect it has been around for a few years. The dates on the label are older than those on the bottle of Chichicapa. Had never paid that much attention to them before but noted that the Sombra has the same NOM (041X) as the Del Maguey Chichicapa. Del Maguey seems to have their finger on a number of mezcals.

Took another run at the Margara, this time adding a half ounce of 1:1 simple syrup. Improved for me but perhaps too sweet for others. I will have to keep playing with this and other variations on a Margarita to see what I find works best. I confess I do tend to like them a bit on the sweet side anyway (One of my favorites recipes uses Damiana liqueur). Will go back and look at other drinks that call for Cynar and/or the creole shrubb as well. But started the evening off with a 1.5 oz pour of El Dorado 15yo and the Plantation 20th Anniversary rum to get into my "training" for the upcoming rum dinner in Atlanta next week. First had a bit of each at room temp and then added a 1" block of ice to each. Both were excellent but I if I had to choose a favorite I think it would have to be the ED 15yo which I thought had a bit more "personality". Next I will have to throw the Ron Zacapa 23 into the mix but thought two was plenty for one evening.

OK, thanks! Definitely interested if I can find a source.

Hmm, I suppose not...

Any time frame available yet for when the Bitterman spirits like Amère Nouvelle and Amère Sauvage might be available on an internet retailer like Drinkupny or similar? Not much access down here in Atlanta (or anywhere near by) yet it would appear.